Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Frameworks for product differentiation, team building, and thinking from first principles | Ayo Omojola (Carbon Health, Cash App)

May 14, 2023

Ayo Omojola, Chief Product Officer at Carbon Health and former PM leader at Cash App, shares his insights on product innovation and team dynamics. He reveals how Cash App carved its niche in a crowded market and argues that small teams often outperform larger ones. Ayo emphasizes the value of first-principles thinking and the importance of building connections in your network. He offers practical advice for health tech founders, focusing on strategic hiring and creating products that genuinely meet consumer needs.

52:09

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Ayo Omojola

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Quick takeaways

To stand out in product development, focus on offering relevance and significance to users, not just being different or better.

Lessons from building Cash Card and Cash App highlight differentiation in consumer products, startup creation, and problem-solving strategies.

Deeply understanding the nuances of challenges facilitates informed decision-making, emphasizing the importance of personal exploration and comprehension.

Deep dives

Importance of Differentiation and Being Better in Product Development

In product development, it is crucial to focus on being different and better than existing solutions. Merely being different is insufficient as it is easy to create something different without true value. Similarly, being better is not enough if it does not resonate with the end users. To truly stand out, a product must offer relevance and significance to its users.

Optimizing for Building a Different and Better Product than What Exists Today

01:39

A healthcare provider's full stack approach and innovative diabetes program

01:27

How an angel investor made 600 introductions to help others

00:50

Building Better and Different Products with Io Omangela

00:47

Intro

4min

Navigating Entrepreneurial Journeys and Product Differentiation

15min

From Fintech to Health Innovation

8min

Cultivating Connections and Team Dynamics

4min

Networking and Navigating Healthcare Innovation

14min

An Overview of Carbon Health's Integrated Healthcare Model

2min

Rapid Recommendations and Reflective Hiring

5min

Brought to you by Microsoft Clarity—See how people actually use your product | Eco—Your most rewarding app | LMNT—Zero-sugar hydration

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Ayo Omojola is Chief Product Officer at Carbon Health, one of the fastest-growing and most innovative health tech companies in the world. Previously, he was a PM leader at Cash App, where he co-created the Cash Card and scaled it to a nine-figure revenue line for Square. He’s also an angel investor in companies like Mercury, Modern Treasury, Faire, and many others. In this episode, we discuss:

• How Cash App broke through the noise and became a consumer app success story

• Why small teams are better than big ones

• Hard-won lessons on team building and hiring

• Why it’s “criminal” not to connect people in your network to things that they need

• Why you sometimes shouldn’t listen to experts

• The importance of first-principles thinking

• Advice for health tech founders

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/frameworks-for-product-differentiation-team-building-and-thinking-from-first-principles-ayo-omojola-carbon-health-cash-app/#transcript

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Where to find Ayo Omojola:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ay_o